NBA Trade Rumors: Markieff Morris Wants Out, Will the Phoenix Suns Move the Disgruntled Forward?
The Phoenix Suns are not interested in trading their disgruntled power forward Markieff Morris, as reported by NBC Sports.
According to ESPN, Markieff has made it clear that he wants to be traded out of Phoenix after the trade of his twin brother Marcus to the Detroit Pistons this offseason.
Markieff told the Philadelphia Inquirer, "One thing for sure, I am not going to be there. If you want to put that out there, you can put that out. I don't give a [expletive]. I am not going to be there at all. That's just what it is."
However, he won't receive any pay if he refuses to play. He said, "I've got to show up. No question. You can't do that. I will be a professional. Don't get me wrong. But it won't get that far. I'm going to be out before then, should be."
In a report by AZ Central, the Suns want Morris to be their starting power forward and possibly has no chance to find a replacement in free agency. They do not have any option on the roster to replace Morris. Their front office knows that if they trade him, teams will lowball their offer knowing Morris wants out.
Last season, the Morris twins both signed a four-year contract extension with the Suns. They settled for less money so that they play together, but the deal with Detroit infuriated Markieff, saying that trade was "a slap in the face" according to another report from ESPN.
Marcus also spoke with the Philadelphia Inquirer, saying, "I'm a grown man. I can stand on my own. I play on my own. It's just the disrespectful side. What we did for the Suns, the pay cuts we took and for them to trade me without consent is what made me more disappointed and is what made me more upset."
The Suns traded Marcus, Reggie Bullock and Danny Granger to the Pistons for a second round draft pick to free up cap space in the hunt for LaMarcus Aldridge, who signed with San Antonio Spurs. The Suns guard Brandon Knight told AZ Central that he wants Markieff to be happy, "If he stays with us, we'd definitely love to have him. I'm looking forward to playing with him. But if not, it's a business. Like I said, I just want Markieff to be happy."
The twins have played together in high school at Kansas and at the NBA when they were both drafted in 2011. Marcus was drafted by the Rockets before being traded to the Suns to join Markieff the next season.
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